Title: Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology
Author: David S. Richeson
Short Description: V-E+F=2. Requires little (no?) preparation, but some willingness to think. I gave it to a few people who wanted to know more about what math really was (as opposed to adding longer and longer columns of numbers, as my mother believes), and those who made the investment of their time came away with a much better understanding.